Warehouse Clerk Job Description

To work in a warehouse is not so much the easy job people seem to think. Even if the warehouse clerks do not work directly with the clients, they still have many duties and responsibilities, as well as they need certain skills.

An important skill needed to be a warehouse clerk is the ability to work for a long time. This job is more prone to work related injuries than others, because of the work volume. The warehouse clerks often have to lift and carry merchandise in and out of the stock rooms, or into the shops.

First, a warehouse clerk has to keep in contact with all the providers of the store they are working at. They are the people who decide whether continuing working with certain providers proves to be favorable for the shop. This is decided by a variety of factors, such as:

Profits - the warehouse clerk calculates the profits made by the shop while working with a supplier. If the profits are not high enough, the warehouse clerk will try to cut down costs by using a supplier that provides less expensive merchandise for the same quality

Quality - If a provider supplies good quality items and there are not many problems, it is ok to continue the collaboration. However, if the items received are most often broken or damaged, then another supplier is searched.

If the shop sales attendants are in need of items that help them perform their jobs better, they go to the warehouse clerk and ask for those items. The warehouse clerk decides, if the requests are within the budget's limits and if they are, he fulfills the request. If not or if he is not sure, he goes to the higher management so as a decision to be taken concerning this matter.

The warehouse clerks pack and unpack the arrived merchandise, and then they put in on the shelves based on type, size, and on how much it is needed. The food products are of course stored separately. Sometimes, the warehouse clerks also put the price tags on the products. The sales attendants in shops that deal with clothing fulfill this duty.

The warehouse clerks must have strong knowledge of all the items that they have in stock. They need to know the item's names, type and size. They need to be aware of what items are missing from the stock and order them from the suppliers, as well as which items are not needed anymore.

When products arrive, they have to be able to sign all the necessary papers for the receiving of the merchandise, and if the products do not meet the criteria, they have to be returned to the providers with an explanation as to why the merchandise was not acceptable.

The warehouse clerk must have an organized mind, fast reactions, has to be healthy, strong, and able to handle working at night if needed. Most people who are hired as warehouse clerks are males.